Dental wire attachment

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices utilizing a dental appliance for dental retainer wire attachment are disclosed. One such wire attachment appliance includes a shell having one or more cavities formed therein and shaped to receive one or more teeth, at least two wire attachment members provided on the shell, and at least one attachment material reservoir provided on the shell, wherein the attachment material is provided to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent to a particular reservoir of the at least one attachment material reservoir.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure is related generally to the field of dentaltreatment. More particularly, the present disclosure is related toattachment of a dental wire within a patient's mouth.

Various dental procedures move or adjust the position of teeth within apatient's mouth. When teeth have been moved, for example, to correct adental malocclusion, once the movement and/or positioning of the one ormore teeth is finished, if preventive measures are not taken, the teethcan also move to reproduce the original condition, to some intermediateposition between the initial position and the final position attainedafter the procedures, or to a position that is not part of thetreatment.

In such instances, a retainer can be used to prevent the adversemovement of the one or more teeth. The goal of the retainer is tostabilize the new configuration of the teeth so that the teeth do notmove to one of the above incorrect positions.

Retention is useful because the bone around the teeth have to rebuildaround the new position of the teeth in order to stabilize the teeth.

Retention can be accomplished by use of a retainer that holds the teethin position for a duration of time to allow for the periodontalligaments and bone to reform around the new positions of the teeth.

In some instances, the periodontal ligaments and bone can, for example,need a number of years for stabilization. In order to provide such longterm retention, a fixed retainer is often utilized where two ends of ametallic wire are attached between two teeth and the wire acts to keepthe two teeth positioned with respect to each other. Additionally, thewire also can keep teeth in position that are positioned between twoteeth at which the two ends of the wire are attached.

The attachment is often accomplished through the mounting of a bandaround each tooth and the ends of a wire attached to the bands orthrough the bonding of the ends of the wire to the teeth. These types ofattachment methods are performed by the treatment professional and theretainers are shaped by the treatment professional just prior toattachment to the patient's teeth.

Accordingly, in some instances this can lead to imprecise positioning,poor adjustment prior to attachment, and other such problems. Theseprocesses can be difficult to perform and can also require specialknowledge by the treatment professional to perform and/or specializedmaterials to implement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a virtual model of attachment of a wire according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of a physical model utilized to form theappliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates an angled side perspective view of a physical modelutilized to form the appliance according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of an appliance according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a top view illustrating the appliance cavities of anappliance positioned over a patient's teeth according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 4-4 of theappliance of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 5-5 of theappliance of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 6-6 of theappliance of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 7-7 of theappliance of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 8 is a top view illustrating an appliance positioned over a jaw ofa patient and having a number of tabs formed thereon according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method embodiment of forming a wire attachmentappliance according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates another method embodiment of attaching a wireaccording to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and devices for attachment of a wire for a dental retainer aredisclosed. For example, one such embodiment of a wire attachmentappliance includes a shell having one or more cavities formed thereinand shaped to receive one or more teeth.

The embodiment also includes at least two wire attachment membersprovided on the shell, and at least one attachment material reservoirprovided on the shell. In such embodiments, the attachment material isprovided to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent to a particular reservoirof the at least one attachment material reservoirs.

In some instances, it may be beneficial to utilize information about thepatient's teeth before creating the wire attachment appliance. Forexample, data about the patient's teeth can be utilized to create avirtual model of some of all of the teeth of the patient.

The virtual model can be created on a computing device through use of aprocessor, memory, and a number of executable instructions utilized tocreate the virtual model and display the model on a display device. Insuch embodiments, this virtual model can be used, for example, tounderstand how the wire attachment appliance is going to work, how it isgoing to fit, where it is going to be positioned, and/or otherbeneficial functions.

FIG. 1 illustrates a virtual model of an attachment for a wire accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1, a virtual model 100 displays a patient's mouththat is modeled illustrating a number of teeth 102 therein and theirorientation with respect to each other.

Such a virtual model can be used to establish the position of the wireon the teeth and can be used to design the attachment components inorder to attach the wire to the teeth that are to be retained. Forexample, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a wire 106 is providedin the virtual model 100.

The wire 106 is attached to the teeth by a wire attachment member 104positioned on each end. It should be noted that more or less attachmentmembers can be utilized and that the attachment members may bepositioned on teeth other than those illustrated. Further, any suitabletype of wire can be utilized, such as metallic, composite, or polymerwires (e.g., single or multiple strands).

Also illustrated in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are a number ofattachment members 108 for attachment of the wire 106 to the teeth. Theformation of the attachment members is discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 2A illustrates a physical model with having a number of shapes usedto form a number of reservoirs to form the attachment members therein.In some embodiments, the physical model can also include a wire or ashape that is designed to fit over the wire or portions thereof. Inaddition to aiding in the formation of the appliance, a physical modelcan be beneficial, for example, to understand how the wire attachmentappliance is going to work, how it is going to fit, where it is going tobe positioned, and/or other beneficial functions.

As discussed above, the physical model can be used in the fabrication ofthe wire attachment appliance. In some such embodiments, the wireattachment members are attached to the teeth of the physical modelbefore removal and placement in the patient's mouth. In embodiments,such as that shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the physical model 201 includesphysical model portions 203 that provide a number of shapes used to forma number of reservoirs to form the attachment members therein and shapes205 used to form a shape that is designed to fit over the wire orportions thereof.

The physical model can be made from any suitable material. For example,a suitable material can be a material used to form the model through arapid prototyping technique (e.g., additive manufacturing process), suchas by a stereo lithography process, photo lithography process, fuseddeposition modeling, selective laser sintering, or other such process,among other suitable materials.

Further, the attachment of the wire attachment members can beaccomplished in any suitable manner. For example, adhesives, resins, andother suitable materials can be used. In some embodiments, the wireattachment members can be releasably attached (e.g., through use of areleasable adhesive or resin) and, therefore, can be removed forplacement in the patient.

In some embodiments, it may be possible to separate the attachmentmembers in another manner and, therefore, a non-releasable attachmenttype can be formed. For instance, the bond of the adhesive or resin canbe broken to remove the attachment members, in some embodiments.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the physical model does notinclude the actual attachment members, but rather includes portions ofthe physical model used to form the spaces that will be used to positionthe actual attachment members. In such embodiments, once the applianceis formed and removed from the physical model, the attachment memberscan be positioned therein.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of an appliance according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B,the appliance 323 can be formed over the physical model of the patient'steeth (e.g., model 201 of FIGS. 2A and 2B).

This can be accomplished, for example, after the wire attachment membersand/or the wire have been affixed to the physical model or the physicalmodel is formed having the above discussed reservoir and wire shapes. Insuch embodiments, for example, a polymeric sheet could be placed overthe physical model and then cured to create the appliance 323 havingportions forming the reservoirs 325 and 327 and wire accommodatingstructures 315.

Providing such an appliance could also be accomplished in other manners,such as during a rapid prototyping process. In various embodiments, theappliance can be formed from a rapid prototyping material as discussedabove or other suitable manufacturing material, such as polymers,composites, metallic materials, and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, once formed, the wire can be attached to thewire attachment members after the appliance is formed. For instance,this could be the case when rapid prototyping is used to form theappliance or when a physical model is used that does not utilize theactual attachment members and/or wire.

This attachment can be accomplished during fabrication or by a treatmentprofessional before installation into the patient's mouth, in someembodiments. In various embodiments, the attachment blocks may also bepositioned in the appliance by a treatment professional.

In some embodiments, the appliance can be formed independently from thephysical model, for example, through some types of rapid prototyping. Insome such embodiments the wire attachment members can be attached to theappliance without use of a physical model.

When a physical model is utilized, the wire attachment members can beaffixed to the appliance during the formation of the appliance. This canbe, for example, via a physical or chemical affixation mechanism and canbe releasable, such as by photo resist or chemical resist, in someembodiments, as discussed above. This can be beneficial in someinstances, for example, to aid in checking the positioning of the actualwire and attachment members on the physical model. However, in someinstances, the virtual modeling can provide such functionality beforethe physical model is formed.

FIG. 3B is a top view illustrating the appliance cavities of anappliance positioned over a patient's teeth according to an embodimentof the present disclosure. The appliance 323, of FIG. 3B, is positionedover a number of teeth (e.g., teeth 312 and 325) and contains a numberof spaces for the placement of wire attachment members 314 therein.These wire attachment members are used to position the wire 316 withrespect to the patient's teeth in preparation for further securement tothe patient's teeth with attachment members formed by the insertion ofattachment material in the number of reservoirs 327. As will bedescribed below, the attachment material can be provided to furthersecure the wire to the teeth of the patient (e.g., the teeth of thepatient in which the physical model teeth 312 and 325 were modeledafter).

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 4-4 of theappliance of FIG. 3B. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a wireattachment member 414 (e.g., 314 from FIG. 3) is attached to the tooth422 via an attachment agent 415 (e.g., adhesive, resin, etc.).

In some such embodiments, the attachment member 414 can also be attachedto the appliance 423. The appliance may also be formed such that theattachment member is held in place by the appliance material that isformed around the attachment member.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 4, a portion of the wire 416can be provided within the wire attachment member 414 provided in theshell of the appliance 423, such that the wire attachment member 414 canbe used to hold the wire 416 in position with respect to the teeth ofthe patient (e.g., the teeth of the patient in which the physical modelteeth 422 were modeled after). The positioning of the wire can beaccomplished during or after the fabrication on the shell, as will bediscussed below.

As discussed above, in some embodiments, the wire attachment members 414can be affixed to the teeth 422 in various manners. In the embodiment ofFIG. 4, a releasable adhesive 415 is used. In such embodiments, once theadhesive is released or is broken, the appliance 423 with wireattachment members 414 and, in some cases, wire 416, can be removed fromthe mouth of the patient.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 5-5 of theappliance of FIG. 3B. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the appliance 523includes an attachment material reservoir 527. In some such embodimentsas is illustrated in FIG. 5, the attachment reservoir 527 allows for aportion of the wire 516 to be positioned through the attachmentreservoir 527.

This can be accomplished, for example, by placing a slit in the eachside of the reservoirs that is sized to allow the wire to be slidthrough the slit. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the wire 516 may bepositioned in the appliance 523 after the appliance is formed. One suchexample slit configuration is discussed with respect to FIG. 6.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the reservoir 527 also includes one or moreapertures (e.g., 528 and/or 530) formed therein. These apertures can beused, for example, for the placement of a needle tip or other applicatortherein for the purpose of providing the attachment material to thereservoir 527.

In some embodiments, one or more apertures can also be used as vents toallow air to exit the appliance as the attachment material is introducedinto the reservoir 527. In some embodiments, these apertures can beformed by the treatment profession, for example, by a needle tip orother applicator or cutting device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 6-6 of theappliance of FIG. 3B. In FIG. 6, the reservoir (e.g., reservoir 527 ofFIG. 5) includes a slit 632 in each side of the reservoir, as describedabove, to allow appliance 623 to be lifted over the wire 616 once theattachment material has been positioned within the reservoir and issolid enough to maintain its shape and adhere to the tooth 625 withoutthe shell of the reservoir positioned to contain the attachmentmaterial.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cut away view taken along line 7-7 of theappliance of FIG. 3B. The illustration of FIG. 7 similarly shows thatthe shell is formed such that the appliance 723 can be lifted over thewire 716 to remove the appliance from the teeth 725 and leaving the wirein place. In some embodiments, the appliance may have a slit cut intothe surface of the appliance to allow the wire to pass through theappliance as it is lifted off.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, a wire attachment appliance, caninclude a shell having one or more cavities formed therein and shaped toreceive one or more teeth, at least two wire attachment members providedon the shell, and at least one attachment material reservoir provided onthe shell, wherein the attachment material is provided to attach a wireto a tooth adjacent to a particular reservoir of the at least oneattachment material reservoirs.

In some such embodiments, the appliance includes a wire having portionsof the wire positioned in the wire attachment members and having otherportions of the wire positioned within the one or more attachmentmaterial reservoirs.

In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 3A-8, the cavities formed aroundthe teeth are illustrated to extend around the entire circumference ofthe tooth and presumed to cover each tooth on each side from top of thetooth to at least the gum line. However, the embodiments of the presentdisclosure should not be limited to such shapes.

In some embodiments, the cavity may be formed by a ring of materialformed to fit around a tooth where the top of the tooth is not coveredby shell material. In some embodiments, at least one of the one or morecavities is formed including at least one side surface and wherein theat least one side surface includes a portion that is shaped to abut anexterior surface of one of the one or more teeth. Further, in someembodiments, at least one of the cavities covers a top and portions ofeach of a number of side surfaces of one of the one or more teeth, asillustrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 3A-8.

In some embodiments, the shell and the wire attachment members and/orthe one or more attachment material reservoirs can be provided as aunitary body. This can be accomplished, for example, by forming theshell and wire attachment members together or by forming the shellaround the wire attachment members, or embedding the wire attachmentmembers in the shell material.

As discussed herein, the wire can be provided by any suitable material.For example, a wire can be a metallic wire, can be another wire type,such as multiple wire strands woven together, or can be from anothermaterial such as a polymer or composite material. As discussed above, insome embodiments, at least one of the attachment material reservoirs caninclude an aperture for the placement of a material dispenser therein.

In some embodiments, the shell, or portions thereof, can be constructedfrom a transparent material. This can be beneficial, for example, wherea treatment profession may be able to see the positioning of the wireand/or the curing state of a curable attachment material provided to oneor more of the reservoirs. This can be particularly beneficial inembodiments where the wire is positioned on the lingual side of theteeth, since it can be difficult to for the treatment professional tosee in that area of the mouth of the patient, among other areas of themouth.

FIG. 8 is a top view illustrating an appliance positioned over a jaw ofa patient and having a number of tabs formed thereon according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. In such embodiments, the tabs canbe beneficial, for example, to help a treatment professional lift theappliance 823 over the wire attachment members 814, the wire 816, andthe attachment members 827 once formed and off teeth 812 and 825. Insuch embodiments, a portion or all of the appliance can be fabricatedfrom transparent materials to aid the treatment professional in viewingsome areas of the mouth.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method embodiment of forming a wire attachmentappliance according to the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG.9, the method includes providing at least two wire attachment members onthe shell, at block 940. At block 942, the method includes forming ashell having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a number of teethof a patient and having at least one attachment material reservoir onthe shell.

In some embodiments, each particular attachment material reservoir canbe positioned such that when an attachment material is provided thereservoir, the attachment material can contact a surface of a toothadjacent to the particular reservoir. This arrangement can be used toattach a wire to the tooth adjacent to the particular reservoir.

In some embodiments, a method can include forming a virtual model of oneor more of the number of teeth, as described above. In variousembodiments, a method can include creating a physical model based uponthe virtual model.

In such embodiments, the method can include attaching the wireattachment members to the physical model. A method can include applyingshell formation material over at least a portion of the physical modeland the wire attachment members to form the shell having the wireattachment members provided on the shell.

FIG. 10 illustrates another method embodiment of attaching a wireaccording to the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, themethod includes placing a number of portions of a wire into acorresponding number of wire attachment members provided on a shellhaving a plurality of cavities shaped to receive one or more teeth andhaving at least one attachment material reservoirs provided on theshell, and wherein portions of the wire are positioned within the atleast one attachment material reservoirs, at block 1050. At block 1052,the method includes, placing the plurality of cavities onto one or moreteeth.

The method embodiment of FIG. 10 also includes, providing attachmentmaterial to at least one of the at least one attachment materialreservoirs to attach the wire to a tooth adjacent to the at least onereservoirs to which attachment material has been provided, at block1054. At block 1056, the method includes removing the shell by removingthe plurality of cavities from over the one or more teeth.

In such embodiments, removing the shell can, for example, includeremoving the shell and the number of wire attachment members provided onthe shell by removing the plurality of cavities from over the one ormore teeth. Removing the shell can include lifting one or more tabs toremove the plurality of cavities from over the one or more teeth.

In some embodiments, providing attachment material can include providinga curable composite material to at least one of the number of attachmentmaterial reservoirs. Providing curable composite material can, forexample, include providing a light curable composite material.

The curable composite material can be a flowable curable compositematerial. This can be beneficial in, for example, filling the reservoirsto create the attachment member. Moldable materials may also be usefulin some embodiment. Some suitable materials can be both flowable andmoldable and such characteristics typically depend upon the viscosity ofthe material.

In some embodiments, a curable composite material can be used to attachthe wire to the tooth adjacent to the at least one reservoirs to whichattachment material has been provided.

As will further be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the relevantart, various features are grouped together in the description of thepresent disclosure in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure, however, is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in each ofthe following claims. Rather, as the claim recitations reflect,inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a singledisclosed embodiment.

Hence, predetermining a treatment plan with a virtual model as describedin the present disclosure may be a recommended and claimed methodology,however, just forming and/or using an appliance as described in thedisclosure and as recited in the following claims is intended as novelsubject matter to be protected. For example, novel subject matter asdescribed in the present disclosure can be included in a portion of anappliance, rather than the whole appliance, and remain consistent withthe teachings of the present disclosure.

Unless explicitly stated, the method embodiments described herein arenot constrained to a particular order or sequence. Additionally, some ofthe described method embodiments, or elements thereof, can occur or beperformed at the same, or at least substantially the same, point intime.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the use of the terms “a”, “an”, “one ormore”, “a number of”, or “at least one” are all to be interpreted asmeaning one or more of an item is present. Additionally, it is to beunderstood that the above description has been made in an illustrativefashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described hereinwill be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the abovedescription.

The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes anyother applications in which the above structures and methods are used.Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullrange of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining thedisclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the embodiments of the disclosure requiremore features than are expressly recited in each claim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter liesin less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A wire attachment appliance, comprising: a shellformed of a particular material having a plurality of cavities formedtherein; at least two wire attachment members located within at leasttwo of the plurality of cavities; at least one attachment materialreservoir formed with the shell and located on an interior surface of atleast one other of the plurality of cavities, the reservoir positionedto receive attachment material to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent tothe at least one attachment material reservoir; and the wire, havingportions positioned in the at least two wire attachment members andhaving other portions positioned within the at least one attachmentmaterial reservoir.
 22. The appliance of claim 21, wherein at least oneof the plurality of cavities is formed including at least one sidesurface and wherein the at least one side surface includes a portionthat is shaped to abut an exterior surface of a tooth.
 23. The applianceof claim 21, wherein wire is a metallic wire.
 24. The appliance of claim21, wherein at least one of the at least one attachment materialreservoir includes an aperture for the placement of a material dispensertherein.
 25. The appliance of claim 24, wherein the aperture is sizedfor the placement of a material dispenser needle tip therein.
 26. Theappliance of claim 21, wherein at least one of the at least oneattachment material reservoir includes an aperture for the venting ofair therethrough.
 27. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the particularmaterial is a transparent material.
 28. The appliance of claim 21,wherein at least one of the plurality of cavities covers a top andportions of each of a number of side surfaces of a tooth.
 29. Theappliance of claim 21, wherein the shell and the at least two wireattachment members are provided as a unitary body.
 30. The appliance ofclaim 21, wherein the shell and the at least one attachment materialreservoirs are provided as a unitary body.
 31. The appliance of claim21, wherein the shell, the at least two wire attachment members, and theat least one attachment material reservoir are provided as a unitarybody.
 32. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the shell includes a numberof tabs to aid in lifting the appliance off of a number of teeth.
 33. Amethod of forming a wire attachment appliance, the method comprising:forming a shell having a plurality of cavities, the shell having atleast one attachment material reservoir within at least one of theplurality of cavities, wherein the at least one attachment materialreservoir is positioned such that an attachment material providedthereto while the appliance was positioned on teeth would contact asurface of a particular tooth adjacent to the particular reservoir toattach a wire to the tooth adjacent to the particular reservoir; andincluding at least two wire attachment members on an interior surface ofat least two other of the plurality of cavities.
 34. The method of claim33, wherein the method includes forming a virtual model of one or moreof the number of teeth.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the methodincludes creating a physical model based upon the virtual model.
 36. Themethod of claim 35, wherein the method includes attaching the at leasttwo wire attachment members to the physical model.
 37. The method ofclaim 36, wherein the method includes applying shell formation materialover at least a portion of the physical model and the at least two wireattachment members to form the shell having the at least two wireattachment members included on the shell.
 38. A method of attaching awire, the method comprising: placing a number of portions of a wire intoa corresponding number of wire attachment members located within a shellhaving a plurality of cavities and having at least one attachmentmaterial reservoir formed with the shell, and wherein portions of thewire are positioned within the attachment material reservoir.
 39. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the method includes placing the plurality ofcavities onto one or more teeth.
 40. The method of claim 38, wherein themethod includes providing attachment material to at least one of the atleast one attachment material reservoir while the plurality of cavitiesare placed onto the one or more teeth to attach the wire to a toothadjacent to the at least one reservoir to which attachment material hasbeen provided.